


Losing Control

by Tee2072



Series: Avenger Support Staff [2]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: But something is bound to happen, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, No idea where this is going, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2017-11-23 07:01:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/619365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tee2072/pseuds/Tee2072
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone needs to lose control from time to time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Finding Control

**Author's Note:**

> This will make no sense if you don't read part one.

Everything was perfectly in place.

Mark was with Steve and Tony for the night.

The doctor said her first surgery recovery was going really well and she might actually get out of the wheelchair soon. She had bluntly asked him about sex the last time everything had been perfectly in place. He said it would be fine so long as she avoided too much pressure on the damaged leg. Missionary position it was then.

She was washed, shaved, powered and pretty. Natasha had helped a bit with some of it. Hard to shave your legs and, um, other places from a wheelchair. Tash had totally gotten it and helped very matter of factly. Allison was not surprised to learn that Tash had been a beauty therapist as an assignment once. Some day she'd corner the other woman to explain the look on her face when she'd said that.

She had on the underwear she'd bought the last time she'd attempted such an occasion with Bruce, two weeks before. Sexy was an understatement.

She was ready, willing and able.

Now all she needed was her boyfriend. Who was late. Again.

She was reading her tablet, trying not to stare at the clock, before sighing and giving in. He was nearly an hour late. "JARVIS. Dr Banner's location?"

"He's in the lab." JARVIS replied.

"Working again, then."

"No. He's just...sitting." JARVIS' voice was a bit concerned. "He's been just sitting for about two hours, actually."

"So he's avoiding me." Allison muttered.

"That I do not know, Allison." JARVIS replied. "Perhaps he forgot and is thinking?"

"Nice try, JARVIS." She spun her chair around and headed to the bedroom to change into sweats. Might as well be alone and comfortable. Fucking men. She wiped a tear from her eye as she unhooked the bustier and changed it for a big t-shirt. There had better be ice cream in the big kitchen.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say Natasha was surprised to find Allison in the communal kitchen, alone and in baggy clothes, was the understatement of the century. "What happened? Where's Bruce?"

Allison shrugged. "Last I heard sitting in his lab. Avoiding me, apparently." She dug her spoon back into the Fudge Brownie before offering the carton to Tash. "Want some?"

"Are you kidding me? He stood you up again?" Tash grabbed a spoon and dug in. "He is such an idiot." She shook her head and sucked the ice cream off the spoon.

"Well, I don't know what else to think. We certainly agreed to meet on my floor at 6 to order food." She grabbed the ice cream back. "I think I was fairly clear what would follow." She shook her head and sternly told herself not to cry. "I guess I've read him wrong the whole time and he doesn't want me. He's just using me to keep The Other Guy calm or something."

"Are you kidding me?" Tash said, "He so wants you. Have you seen the way he looks at you?"

"Tash we've been...whatever this is for 3 months. He's barely touched me except for a few hot kissing sessions that he's ended before they went any further than that. I can take a hint." She scraped the last of the ice cream out of the carton and threw it into the bin. "I'm going to bed." Tash could tell Allison was crying as she headed to the elevator.

"What the hell Bruce." She whispered to herself before heading to the lab. When she got there Bruce was sitting at one of the benches, staring into space. "Hey."

Bruce started and focused at her, "Oh, hi Tash. What's up?"

"What's up? What the hell are you doing?" She nearly yelled at him.

"Sitting here. Thinking. Before I go..." Bruce looked at the clock on the wall. "Shit. I didn't realize what time it was!" He started to stand but she pushed him back into his chair. "Hey! Allison is..."

"Alone in her bedroom crying her eyes out." Natasha spat out at him.

"What? Why?" He tried to stand up. "Let me up, Tasha!"

"Not until you listen to me, you idiot." She leaned into his face. "Allison is a friend of mine, something I don't say about a lot of people. And you've been treating her horribly. Sending her mixed messages. This is the second time you've stood her up when she had everything ready for the two of you to be alone all night long. The first time you actually had a reason, as I recall, with that experiment, but this time? What's your fucking excuse this time?"

Bruce sighed and pulled off his glasses, "I'm well aware what Allison was expecting tonight. But..."

"But what? You don't want me?" The two of them spun around to see Allison sitting in her wheelchair in the doorway of the lab. It was obvious she had been crying but now she was mad. "If that's the case, then just tell me. I'm a big girl, I'd be fine being friends, even being your support for The Other Guy, but stop fucking with my head!"

Bruce pushed Tasha out of the way and practically ran to Allison, dropping to his knees so he could look her in the eye, "No! It's not that. I do want you...I just...it's just..."

"Spit it out Banner!" Natasha snapped.

Allison looked into Bruce's eyes. "Tash...could you give us some space?"

Natasha huffed but stalked out of the room, thwacking Bruce on the back of the head as she went by. "You know where I'll be." She said to Allison and left.

"Well?" Allison said. "Do you want to explain why stood me up tonight?"

"It wasn't deliberate. I honestly was thinking and lost track of time." He looked at her, willing her to believe him. "I swear, I was going to come up to your floor and talk to you about this..."

"About what?" 

Bruce stood up and started to pace, "About me and sex and The Other Guy and..." He spun towards her, "I haven't had sex since the accident, Allison. I have no idea if it is anger that brings him out or if it's a raised heartbeat in general. I'm terrified that if I lose myself the way I know I am going to with you that he's going to appear and hurt you. I don't know how to keep control and do what I want to do to with you..." He stopped short, realizing she was grinning at him. "Yeah. You make me nearly lose control with just your kisses," he whispered as he walked towards her, kneeling back in front of her, "I can't imagine how I'll keep it when I'm making love to you."

She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him towards her, pressing her lips to his, licking the seam until he opened up to her, probing his mouth with her tongue. He gathered her to him, pulling her off the chair and into his lap on the floor, wrapping his arms around her tightly. When they pulled back for air he whispered, "Can you not feel how much I want you?"

She giggled and kissed him gently again, "I had myself half convinced I imagined it." She kissed him again, her hands on his face, before whispering against his lips, "How do we solve this?"

"I...I honestly don't know." He kissed her again and then leaned their foreheads together. "He is calmer when you're around, even in the heat of the moment, but I don't know if that will be true if we get too far. And the only way to find out is to put you at risk, which I won't do." 

"Surely you've masterbated since it happened." Allison said, "Wasn't your heartbeat raised then?"

"Of course I have, but I never totally lose control the way I'm afraid I will with you." He whispered, a slight flush on his face. "I want you so badly and I just don't know how to have you..."

"You could ask for help." The two of them jumped and turned towards the door. Tony was leaning on the door frame, grinning at them.

"Aren't you suppose to be watching my son?" Allison snapped at him, angry at the interruption.

"Your son is asleep. Steve is nearby. He's fine." Tony replied as he sauntered into the room and sat in Allison's chair. "Seriously, Bruce, you're an idiot. Surely there are ways we can monitor you, discretely, so if you start to lose it while having sex an...alarm, yeah, that's it, an alarm could go off and you could stop?"

Bruce looked thoughtful, "But at what point do we set the alarm for? Too early and we might as well not even start; too late it will be, well, too late."

Tony started tapping on his tablet as he rocked back and forth in the chair, "Well, we could start by setting..."

Allison was looking between the two, incredulously, "Wait!"

"What?" Tony replied. 

"I am not going to sit here, half on the floor, while you two turn mine and Bruce's sex life into another experiment. Move!" Tony jumped out of the chair and helped Allison lever herself back into it. "Now, I'm going to go to bed...alone unfortunately...and when you two figure out...something...let me know!" She quickly turned the chair around and wheeled out of the room, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

She was not surprised to find Natasha sitting in her living room. She was surprised to find Pepper with her. "Pepper! When did you get home?"

"About an hour ago." Pepper smiled at the other woman. "Tash was just bringing me up to speed on your stupid stupid boyfriend. What happened?"

Allison told them what had been discussed, "So he and Tony are...working on it." She put her face in her hands, "Sometimes I can't believe my life...my boyfriend and his best friend are currently in a lab trying to figure out how to alarm...something...to prevent my boyfriend from becoming a green rage monster while making love to me..."

"Sounds normal to me," Pepper laughed as she stood up and stretched, "If you're okay, I'm going to bed. I haven't seen Phil in two weeks and..." She grinned at Allison.

She grinned back and said, "And he doesn't have to worry about control."

Natasha stood up as well, "Wait, Coulson loses control? I don't believe it!"

The three women laughed as they went their separate ways.


	2. Needing Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Control. He needs control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay. I was totally stuck but I know where the story is going now and the next update should be much quicker.

It was a week later that Tony and Bruce tracked Allison to the communal kitchen. It had been adapted so she could cook from her wheelchair and Mark thought that was awesome as he didn't need a step stool to reach. The two of them had the center island covered in flour and were rolling out dough for pizza.

"You know," Tony said conversationally, "There's this neat new invention where you can call someone and they'll bring you pizza. Already cooked and everything." He poked the dough Mark was rolling and got a light slap from the little boy for his efforts.

"Not as good." Mark said, his tongue sticking out of mouth in concentration as he carefully turned the dough he was working on, continuing to roll. Allison was working across from him, cutting up vegetables, and supervising her son's efforts. He was quite good at it.

"I was just going to call down to the lab and see what you wanted on yours." Allison commented.

"There's enough for everyone?" Bruce asked, surprised.

"Of course!" Mark exclaimed. "Mum always makes enough dough for, like, 30 people!"

Allison laughed, "Well, maybe not quiet that much, but a lot." She turned towards Bruce who was trying to sneak some red pepper from her chopping board and pulled him down so she could kissed his cheek. "So, what's your pizza poison?"

"Pepperoni!" The two answered together.

"Okay, so that's four pepperoni," Allison counted circles of dough, "And I'll make two vegetarian and three cheese." She continued to mutter to herself as she manoeuvred her wheelchair to the 'fridge.

"We were actually looking for you for a reason," Bruce said, making her spin around to look at him, the anxiety in his voice evident. "We may have a solution..."

"For what?" Mark asked, still rolling out dough.

"I think the dough is done, Mark." His mother tried to keep the anxiety out of her own voice, "Why don't you go play and I'll come get you when the sauce is finished?"

"Oh, grown up stuff." Mark grumbled as he washed his hands quickly and ran out of the kitchen.

"Well?"

"It's something we need to show you," Bruce said. "And now is obviously not the time. How about tomorrow morning? In the lab at eight?"

"Okay." She turned back to the pizza. "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour."

"Hey," Bruce walked over to her, "Are you okay?"

"I'm just afraid to get my hopes up." She smiled at him.

Bruce laughed softly and said with longing, "Oh, me too." And kissed her.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning Allison arrived in Bruce's lab right at eight. Bruce was in the process of removing his shirt and Tony was checking something in front of the door to what looked like a plexiglass box in the corner of the room.

"That's new." Allison said as she wheeled over. "It's not plexi, is it?"

"No," Tony replied, not turning around, "It's vibranium and titanium and some other things, same as the cage on the helicarrier."

"So Hulk proof..." She smiled at Bruce who was down to the stretchy trousers Tony had made him for when he was The Other Guy, "How does this help?"

"It's a protection device right now." Bruce walked over and knelt in front of her, "I was thinking about you and me and The Other Guy and how he is when you're around. And wondered if maybe we don't need an alarm or anything else, just to be us."

"Wow." Allison whispered. "So you think he just won't hurt me?"

"That's what we want to find out," Tony said, turning around, the door behind him opening with a whoosh, Bruce stepping through and the door closing behind him. "We're going to do a series of tests, with controlled and uncontrolled changes, and see if Bruce really can have control with you helping him or if the change during your rescue was a fluke."

From inside the box, Bruce added, "Even if it doesn't lead to...well, you know, it might be useful in the field."

Allison nodded, "Okay. Where do you want me?"

"You're fine right there." Tony said, "For right now we'll try visual and audio. Ready?" He asked Bruce.

Bruce nodded and they watched as he became The Hulk, who roared as soon as he realized he was contained. Allison tried not to flinch as the giant green man came towards her, knowing neither Tony or Bruce would put her in danger.

"Try talking to him." Tony said. 

"Um...hi..." Allison stuttered out. "Can...can you try and calm down for me?"

Hulk roared again, jumping in place in frustration.

"Hey," Allison said, automatically using the same tone she would use with Mark when he was having a tantrum, "Hey now, enough of that. Bruce and I both need you to try to control yourself a bit."

Tony watched, amazed, as The Hulk's next jump was a little less and his roar slightly quieter. "That's right," Allison wheeled herself a bit closer to the wall between them, "No need to be upset. Shhhh." She pressed her hand against the clear wall and Tony's amazement grew as Hulk put his palm against hers, the green skin already turning white and shrinking back down to Bruce's.

"Wow!" Tony said. "So not a fluke."

"Apparently not," Bruce said as he came out of the cage. "How did you know to talk to him like that?"

Allison let out a deep breath and grabbed Bruce's hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing it, "It's a theory of my own," She explained quietly, "I've read your file and it occurred to me, as the owner of a four year old, that The Other Guy is really just a big kid. Just you, at four, only no longer helpless. I was thinking maybe he was the creation of your mind, the way you protected yourself when...well, you know."

"Huh." Bruce said, "I've never actually considered that. But it makes sense." He turned towards Tony, "So speak to him like a preschooler..."

"And he'll respond like one." Tony's eyebrows were drawn in as he thought it through, "But he also responds to Cap's orders."

"Sure," Allison said, "Because he's being a soldier and Cap's in charge. I think there is probably enough of Bruce in him for that to be understood."

Bruce was nodding. "It makes sense. I can see that he'd think of you as motherly."

"Just so long as you don't." Allison said with a grin. "So what's next?"

"Next I inject myself with some adrenaline and we see if you can talk me out of changing at all." Bruce turned back to the door of the cage, "If you can do that then between the two of us, we should be able to keep him under wraps when...well..."

"Oh my god! The two of you!" Tony threw his hands up in the air, "Have sex! When you have sex! Do the wild monkey! Make the beast with two backs! Fuck like bunnies!!"

Allison and Bruce were both laughing as Tony stomped around the room proclaiming every way he could think of for sex.

"Humping! Screwing! Fucking! Doing the deed!!" He finally ran out of steam and turned towards the two of them grinning. "Did I miss any?"

"Making love?" Allison put in, looking at Bruce.

Tony's grin softened, "Yeah. That." He turned towards Bruce, "Ready big guy?"

"Yup." Bruce went back into the cage, syringe in hand. "Ready?" He asked Allison. At her nod he injected the adrenaline and felt his heart immediately speed up, his skin tingeing green almost instantly, "Talk to me," he half growled at her.

"Bruce, it's me, Allison." She spoke earnestly, her voice taking on the tone she had used before, "I need you to listen to me and try to keep control. I know he wants to come out, but he really really can't. Can you do that for me?"

"No!" Bruce roared, changing into The Hulk in the next second.

"That's okay. No big deal." She swallowed her disappointment, "That's why we're doing tests. Can Bruce come back now?"

"No!" The Hulk roared again, jumping around in the same way he had been previously, screaming.

"Yeah, I was afraid of this." Tony mused as they watched The Big Guy roar and flail.

"What?" Allison said, placing her hand on the clear wall again.

"That if the change is uncontrolled, it would be really uncontrolled. We're probably going to have to wait until he wears down. Sorry." Tony looked at her ruefully, "And we're going to have to try touch."

"I had a feeling that was next," Allison said as she continued to watch her boyfriend rage. "Is there a way to do that safely?"

"Not yet." Tony replied. "But I'll figure something out. I promise, Allison." Tony turned around and touched her shoulder so she'd look up at him, "I promised Bruce and I promise you. We will find a way for you two to have the relationship you both want and deserve."

Allison gave him a small smile and turned back to watch the Hulk rage.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had taken just over an hour for The Hulk to run through the extra adrenaline and turn back to Bruce, immediately passing out from it all. Allison let her self into the cage and levered herself out of her wheelchair to sit on the floor and take Bruce's head in her lap. Tony puttered around the lab, muttering to himself, as he waited; Allison picking up about one word in ten. She knew he was trying to find a safe way for them to test if touch would help with an uncontrolled change.

When Bruce's eyes opened she smiled and leaned down and kissed him softly on the mouth, "Hey. You okay?" She said when she pulled back.

"Yeah." He nuzzled his face into her lap, "Just disappointed it didn't work."

"We knew it was a long shot." Tony pointed out from across the lab. "I'm still working on a safe way for Allison to be able to touch you during an uncontrolled change, so why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

"That," said Allison, stroking Bruce's hair, "sounds like a great idea. I need to check in with my office anyway." She leaned down to kiss Bruce again. "You should go have a rest."

Bruce pushed himself to sitting, "No, I want to see what Tony's come up with." He helped her get back into her wheelchair. "Same time tomorrow? I have a feeling we're going to work late on this."

"Okay." She tilted her head up for another kiss, this one lingering as she pulled him down by the back of his neck. "I'll be back tomorrow."

Bruce watched as she left the lab, a soft smile on his face.

"Oh man," Tony said, "You are so gone on her."

Bruce blushed and turned towards his best friend, "You had better believe it. Okay, what you got?"

The two went back to work.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Allison was at the lab the next morning promptly at eight. One wall of the cage had been removed, replaced with bars that appeared to have been made from the same material.

She just stared for a second, the two men working not noticing her. "Is it safe?" She asked without greeting.

Bruce looked up, "Seems to be. The bars are too close together for The Other Guy's hands to fit through, but mine and yours will."

Allison moved closer, "But if my hand is in there, he could grab me."

"Yes." Tony turned towards her. "Are you willing to risk it? It's the best we could come up with."

She nodded, looking at Bruce, "Yes. I trust you." Bruce had never wanted a flat surface and the promise of control more than in that moment. "Let's do it. I think we can skip the controlled test, yes?"

"Yup." Tony passed Bruce the syringe full of adrenaline again.

"Ready?" He asked Allison.

"Do it," she replied, reaching her hand into him without hesitation. He took her hand and plunged the syringe in with the other.

"Talk to me also." He growled, his skin once again starting to green.

"Bruce, I need you to focus on me." She said quietly, "Listen to my voice. Feel my hand." She put her other hand through the bars and began stroking his arm, still holding his hand, also. "I'm here and I want you to find the control. Don't change."

"JARVIS, vitals." Tony asked as he watched the green fade from Bruce's skin.

"Returning to normal." The AI replied.

"It's working." Allison breathed out as she and Bruce locked eyes through the bars. "Are you there? Do you here me?"

"It's me." Bruce smiled at her, his eyes wide, "He's retreated."

"WHOOT!" Tony yelled and started dancing around the lab. "It worked it worked it worked! We did it we did it...okay..." Tony turned towards the soon to be lovers, "You guys did it. But I was there." He grinned at them. "What are you still doing here? Go...have the wild monkey..."

"Tony!" Bruce yelled, laughing, "I think we can skip your recitation of sex terms, thank you."

"Besides, I have to get to the office and Mark has his half day today and..."

"Stop." Tony held up his hand. "Seriously, stop. I'll pick up Mark. Both of you take the day off. Go. Be alone." He made a shooing motion with his hands.

Allison turned to Bruce as he came out of the cage, "Is there an opposite to cock blocking? Cock enabling, perhaps?"

He grinned down at her. "Yes. Let's go before he changes his mind." 

Bruce grabbed the back of her chair and started to push her to the elevator. As the doors closed behind them he leaned down, brushing her hair out of the way, lifting her chin and kissing her. The kiss started out soft and gentle but soon deepened as the elevator made it's way to Bruce's floor. They were nearly there when it happened.

"Avengers! Assemble!" Blared through the building.

Allison put her head in her hands and burst into tears. "I am never going to have sex with my boyfriend!" She yelled as the elevator automatically switched its destination the the Avenger's assembly floor.

Bruce banged his head against the wall of the elevator before turning around and dropping down in front of Allison, "I promise as soon as whatever this is, is over, we are going away. I know an island in the Pacific where there are no phones, no internet, nothing. We will get your mom to watch Mark and we will go." The doors opened up, various members of the team standing there waiting, "For at least a weekend. Maybe a week. I promise!"

"Sorry, Bruce, Allison," Steve said, "Tony just told me. But we really need you, Bruce."

Bruce stood up and turned around, "What is it?"

"20 Doom Bots just burst through the street from the subway or the sewers." Phil snapped as he headed towards the control room. "Allison, you want to watch?"

"Hell yes." She replied as she kissed Bruce one last time, "See you after." He nodded and headed out with the rest.

"Allison?" Phil said as he grabbed the back of her chair to get her to the control room. "What Bruce just promised? I'll steal you a quinjet to get you there."

She lifted her fist for a bump and sighed, "Just another day as support staff, yeah?"

"Oh yeah."


End file.
